Peppermint Meringue Cookies with Chocolate Ganache

These little cookies are more like a little bite of confectionery. Very airy and sweet with just a hint of mint to carry over the candy-cane theme. Some bittersweet ganache to sandwich them together and you have an adorable, albeit slightly fragile, Christmas cookie!

Meringue is one of those things that is simple and yet complicated at the same time. You need to understand some baking science to be successful, but really it's nothing difficult. I found a great webpage that explained things really well. The only thing I altered was to whisk the first two stages by hand. My mixer wasn't really getting all the whites off the bottom of the bowl, so starting off with a hand whisk gave me the volume I needed to continue on with the remaining steps.

The ratio for meringue is:

2 lg egg whites ( be very sure that no yolk remaining in the whites, the fat will prevent the whites from peaking correctly)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (egg whites benefit from a small bit of acid to help them whip right)

That's it. Pretty simple huh? How many cookies you produce will depend on the shape and size. This little kiss-size yielded about 2 dozen sandwiched cookies.

Step #1

Separate the whites from the yolks. Save the yolks in the fridge for another recipe. Let whites rest on counter until room temperature. Place in a very clean, dry bowl of a mixer. Beat at a low speed until whites look frothy & cloudy.

Step #2

Increase mixing speed to medium and add the cream of tartar.

Step #3

Mix until whites reach soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites droop slightly, when the beater is turned off and lifted.

Step #4

Increase mixer speed to high. Add the sugar at this stage. I added it at a steady stream on the inside edge of the bowl. Beat until firm peaks form. The egg white foam will become smooth, moist and shiny. Stop the beaters and then lift them -- straight peaks should form.

Step #5

Now continue beating on high until stiff peaks are formed. Whites will be very stiff and glossy. Make sure they are complete to this stage if you want defined peaks at the top of your cookies.

Refer to the webpage mentioned above to see step by step photos.

For these cookies, add 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract now.

To continue you will need:

A piping bag

A piping/writing tip about 1/4 inch in diameter (I used a #10)

Red gel paste food coloring. I use AmeriColor Red Red (You can find this at the Bosch Kitchen Center in Orem)

A small food-safe paintbrush

Parchment paper

A quarter

With a pencil, use the quarter to trace several (4-5 dozen) circles on the parchment paper. Turn this paper upside down onto your baking sheet. ( I used two baking sheets) You should be able to see the circles through the parchment. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fit the piping tip into the piping bag. With the paintbrush dipped in food coloring, paint three stripes down the inside of the bag. A medium amount, not too heavy, not too light.

Scoop the meringue into the piping bag. Close and pipe circles onto the parchment, filling to fit the circles. Pull up at the end to make the peak. They should look like chocolate kisses. Just practice to get this shape. The not-perfect ones still taste delicious!

When all meringue is used or pans are filled, place into the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Don't peek! Let set on pans for a few hours after done baking before filling. They are a little fragile, especially at the tip, but so yummy!

Ganache filling:

1 cup heavy cream

6 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

Heat cream to almost boiling and pour over chocolate in a bowl. Let cream melt chocolate and then stir well. Place in fridge for about 1 1/2 hours. Stir again and use same piping bag and tip to fill cookies.

I Loved Her First

She's 18 today.

I think she's amazing.

And fun.

And smart.

And beautiful.

And kind.

And hilarious.

And amazing...

And I'm 94% ok that she's 18.

'Cause watching her grow up has been so fulfilling.

I'm 3% okay that she's on the verge of leaving and being on her own.

'Cause it's the next step in her Great Adventure.

I'm 0% ok that last night I dreamed that she got engaged on her 18th birthday.

'Cause........ well, just 'cause!

I'm 2% ok that she's such an independent girl.

It's a love-hate thing for me.....(mostly love it though!)

I'm 1% ok with all the best songs about little girls are from a daddy's point of view, but just pretend that this one is being sung by mama.

100% of me would go back to the very first second and do it all over again!

Happy birthday Sid. I love you.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Picture a chocolate snickerdoodle.

With heat.

Not too much heat, just enough to let you know it's there.

Subtle-like.

Ground Chipotle seems an unusual ingredient for a cookie, but I think it works--I actually put cinnamon in several Mexican dishes I make, so it seems a logical trade to put Chipotle in desserts!

This is a Martha Stewart recipe from her website. I'm always looking for a new, interesting cookie, and this one is pretty simple, so here you go!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ tsp table salt)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon (divided)

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (divided)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder, 1 tsp. cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. chile powder. Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

I found these totally cute cupcakes on Tasty Kitchen. I loved the recipe for the cupcakes, but thought the frosting was less than flavorful. I would use this recipe for browned butter frosting instead.

I thought the idea for using green cupcake liners and a craft stick was adorable!

Here's the recipe:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 whole eggs

3 cups finely chopped Granny Smith apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cupcake pan with liners (20-24 liners)

Combine flour, soda, powder, salt & cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine sugars, oil, applesauce and vanilla in another bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Add to dry ingredients and gently mix.

Fold in chopped apples.

Pour into cupcake liners about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out not wet. Don't over bake or they get a little dry.

Cool cupcakes and frost with this frosting: (I'd double the recipe.)

Browned Butter Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 Tbsp. milk

1/3 cup butter

In med. bowl, place powd. sugar, vanilla, & 3 Tbsp. milk. In saucepan, heat butter over med. heat, stirring constantly, until medium brown. Pour butter over powd. sugar mixture. Beat 1 min. or until smooth. Add remaining milk, if necessary. Generously frost cupcakes.

recipe adapted from irunforcake on Tasty Kitchen

Right Up My Alley

I love me a good movie. I've seen a few notable cinematic selections this year:

1. Inception.

Saw it twice in one week I loved it so much. I even understood 87% of it the first time I watched it. Good show.

2. How To Train Your Dragon.

So funny! Fresh, interesting, entertaining......Hiccup reminds me of Spencer, so of course I'm gonna love it!

3. Toy Story 3.

Seriously....I couldn't imagine TS2 being as good as TS1, but it was! And I can find no fault with TS3, except the absence of Jim Varney, and that couldn't be helped as he is a resident of the Great Beyond.....Disney (well.....Pixar, to be accurate...) nailed TS3! I cried and Nicholas cried in the back of his throat. (His description for getting choked up.)

But if I'm going to be honest, the most under-advertised movie that I've seen three times already, and can see myself watching it SEVERAL more times, is this one:

It's simply called BABIES.

It follows four diversely situated babies from their birth, to approximately one year, chronicling the vast differences in their lives, while simultaneously giving the sense that they aren't so dissimilar after all.

I'm not even going to get started on how much this movie tickled me. I won't be able to stop, and then you will have a synopsis of the entire thing and thus won't be motivated to watch it yourselves. I will say, however; keep your eyes on Bayar, from Mongolia, and his older brother....pretty sure I wet myself a little over that storyline!


And I call dibs on this little one:

Ponijao.

I. Want. To. Steal. This. Baby.

If any baby out there could even rival the cuteness of my kids, (or yours for that matter...) it's Ponijao.

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

This little tyke/cherub/ankle-biter is beyond ADORABLE!!

Take note at how even though he is the least materialistically endowed, he is the most giddy, happy, gleeful, carefree, buoyant baby-child I think I've ever seen!!

I dare any of you to watch this movie and not be captivated. It streams on Netflix, and Blockbuster has it on DVD. This movie deserves to be noticed!!

**one minor caveat: Babies is peppered with National Geographic-style boobage. So......you're on your own with that!

A gorgeous home

If anyone out there is interested in buying or knows someone who is interested, my friend Erin is selling her BEAUTIFUL, beautiful home in Pleasant Grove. This girl has serious good taste in homes. If she weren't such a dang good friend and wonderful person, I'd pretty much have to avoid her altogether because her beautiful house makes me covet, and that's WRONG!!!

Check the link below to more sweet photos and information:

The most amazing house you'll ever want to buy

Seriously; this house and yard (and family) are awesome!!

Spooktacularnessism

Next to the Fourth of July, Halloween is my favorite holiday. As a kid, I dreamed about costumes and candy, parties and pranks. My mom had some fabulous costumes made for me in my young years. Someday I'll hunt for pics and post.

I love spooky as long as it's all in fun. Not a huge slash and horror fan, but vampires and demons and such are totally my fantasy genre.

I used to make the most elaborate costumes for the two oldest kids. Crazy sewing pieces of art with yards and yards of fabric.......

Well, now I'm a lot more busy, and a lot less crazy. In that sense only, I mean. I'm still all sorts of other kinds of crazy......

Here is this year's costume cuteness:

Anything Pooh Bear is always adorable. Tigger is a particular fave.

The elephant costume. Fun and functional!

Any super hero at all works for the boys.

The first time Nick wore this costume, he was three. It's starting to get a little short on him.....

Zombie is the new vampire, you know. Trust me, they're gonna be big! People are going to start featuring them as the love interest in all the books and movies.

Spencer likes going for the understated, obscure characters.

And my personal favorite costume this year: I chose to go as one of the most awesome, super-hero, amazing people I know.......

Peggy Eddleman!!!!!

Hope your Halloween was Spooktacularistic!!!